FAQ: 5 Things to Know About Israel’s Gaza City Offensive

Q: Why is Israel launching this offensive now?

Israel’s security cabinet voted in favor of taking control of Gaza City on August 8. The decision was a consequence of the repeated failure of outside mediators — including the United States, Egypt, and Qatar — to broker a lasting ceasefire that would enable the release of the remaining hostages and end Hamas rule over the enclave.

The objective of the offensive is to defeat Hamas’s “last stronghold” as a necessary measure in winning the release of the 48 hostages, approximately 20 of whom are believed to still be alive, as well as ending hostilities in Gaza. On September 15, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that units from two armored and infantry divisions, Division 98 and Division 162, had begun the ground offensive.

Q: Will defeating Hamas in Gaza City bring a swifter end to the war?

Israeli and U.S. officials have expressed support for the operation. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly conveyed the administration’s support for the ground offensive, at the same time urging the Israelis to end the operation “as soon as possible.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently remarked that the campaign could be concluded “fairly quickly.”

Some senior Israeli officials have pushed back on the plan. Chief of Staff Gen. Eyal Zamir warned officials that “Hamas would not be defeated politically and militarily” after capturing Gaza City. Assessments by senior IDF staff concluded that to defeat Hamas, the military would also have to capture the central camps (Nuseirat, Bureij, and Maghazi) and exercise control over the civilian population. Adding some doubts about the operation, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar reportedly believed that there was still time to achieve a diplomatic solution, asserting that it was not appropriate for the government to declare an “all or nothing” approach. Sa’ar ultimately abstained from voting on an unspecified clause in a “five principles to end the war” outline that was adopted by the security cabinet.

If the Gaza City operation is successful and Hamas suffers catastrophic losses, it may bring about a swifter end to the war. Early assessments indicate that the Israeli military has weakened Hamas in Gaza City, but it is still unclear how this will impact the group’s strength across the rest of the coastal enclave that it once controlled.

Q: Will the Gaza City offensive bring the hostages home?

The operation could result in the rescue of hostages or pave the way for a deal to secure their release, but there are no guarantees.

Gen. Zamir and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi have both said that the takeover of Gaza City may endanger those hostages who remain alive in captivity.

These concerns are not unfounded. Days before the ground invasion of Gaza City began, Hamas warned that it had moved hostages to the city’s neighborhoods, deliberately putting them in the position of “human shields.” Meirav Gilboa-Dalal, the mother of Hamas hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, substantiated Hamas’s warning, saying that she was informed that her son had been transferred above ground and was being held in Gaza City.

On September 29, with the Gaza City operation already underway, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted an ambitious plan drawn up by U.S. President Donald Trump to end the war. The plan, which has received support from key regional allies, would see the return of all the hostages from Gaza, Hamas laying down its weapons, and a complete cessation of hostilities, pending the Islamist group’s agreement.  At the same time, the Israeli surge in Gaza may have inadvertently cut off Hamas’s communication with the captors of two of the remaining hostages.

Q: What measures has Israel taken to protect Palestinian civilians?

Israel has repeatedly emphasized that its military campaign in Gaza is aimed at Hamas rather than the civilian population. It has implemented a series of measures intended to mitigate harm to noncombatants. The IDF has engaged in large-scale leaflet drops, phone calls, and text message warnings urging civilians to evacuate neighborhoods ahead of strikes, and in some cases announced specific evacuation corridors and humanitarian pauses to allow safe passage in advance.

Israeli officials also highlight the use of precision-guided munitions and aerial surveillance to minimize collateral damage during operations.

To alleviate the humanitarian crisis while still battling Hamas, Israel has facilitated the entry of truckloads of food, medicine, and fuel into Gaza. Furthermore, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), working alongside Israel, has distributed more than 170 million meals through food boxes, potatoes, and onions, reaching families that international agencies have struggled to access. Despite the GHF’s success, the United Nations has repeatedly rejected offers by the nonprofit to work together in providing aid to needy Palestinians.

There is no denying that Gaza is a complicated battlefield, and the people of Gaza are under significant strain. Israel consistently points out that the war could come to a rapid conclusion if Hamas were to release the remaining hostages and if its leaders were to depart Gaza peacefully under the terms of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. In the meantime, however, Hamas continues to fight Israel from a densely populated urban battlefield where the terrorist group deliberately embeds itself among civilians.

Q: What are the risks to Israel, both militarily and politically, in undertaking this operation?

The operation to take over Gaza City may amplify the challenges the Israeli government has already faced in this war.

Militarily, the Gaza City operation may further strain Israeli forces, who are already exhausted due to almost two years of fighting a multifront war. Furthermore, there is a tangible risk of substantial IDF casualties during the operation. Hamas has had time to prepare for the invasion and has mobilized up to 3,000 fighters, according to IDF estimates.

The political ramifications may also be significant. Despite the IDF’s efforts to call on civilians to evacuate Gaza City, the operation may provide fodder for the ICC and possibly other international legal bodies claiming that Israel has committed war crimes.

Ostensible allies of Israel have also begun to impose harsh measures following the start of the Gaza City offensive in an effort to deter the Israelis from fighting. The European Commission formally proposed punitive tariffs along with a suspension of its association agreement with Israel, though this has met with opposition from Germany and other EU member states. A number of countries, including Spain and Ireland, have urged more comprehensive sanctions against Israel, while Slovenia has issued a travel ban against Netanyahu. However, as long as U.S. and German opposition to such punitive measures persists, their impact will be blunted.

Joe Truzman is an editor and senior research analyst at FDD’s Long War Journal, focused primarily on Palestinian armed groups and nonstate actors in the Middle East. For more analysis from the author and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Joe on X @JoeTruzman. Follow FDD on X @FDD and @LongWarJournal. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.